To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 76

Scott’s violence was ruthless, even though his right arm was broken. He didn’t hesitate at all to beat Noah.

Noah deliberately didn’t defend himself from Scott. He thought that only if Scott’s anger was satisfied, he would be able to find out where Scarlett’s grave was.

Noah’s skin was torn and somewhere in his body was broken. Blood soaked the floor. The more Scott beat him, the more excited he got and shouted.

“You damn bastard! You dare call yourself a human? What the hell do you think you are?!”

Scott was full of rage. He blamed Noah for everything.

No, even just thinking about what Noah had done made him so angry that he couldn’t stand it.

He could no longer bear the existence of Ashford. He had shown infinite love to his sister, but his patience was not infinite.

“Scott! Calm down! Scott White!”

Aaron grabbed Scott to stop him. But Scott struggled, pushed Aaron away, and swung the stick again.

“He’ll die if you keep going! Stop it!”

Aaron tried again to stop Scott. His strong hands grabbed his brother’s arm. As Aaron pulled him back with force, Scott shouted.

“Let go! I’m going to kill that bastard today!”

“You’re too worked up. Please, talk it out. Are you an animal?”

“An ungrateful animal needs to be put down!”

“What’s going on that you’re yelling so loudly that we can hear it from the living room… Oh my God. What are you doing? Goodness, all that blood… Noah Ashford? Scott White!”

Even though Susan didn’t like Noah, she didn’t want to see him bleeding and collapsed.

Shocked by Scott’s cruelty, Susan ran to Noah. She checked his pulse on his neck. She shivered as blood soaked the hem of her skirt and her hands.

“Move, Susan.”

“No. Stop it.”

“I said move!”

“You stop it.”

“You don’t know what that bastard did! You know nothing!”

Scott shoved Susan aside and punched Noah’s stomach. Aaron and the servants tried to hold Scott back, but they couldn’t stop him because he was half out of his mind.

“Are you trying to become a murderer?! What are you doing?! Hurry and move Noah Ashford and treat him!”

“Let go! That bastard is better off dead!”

Aaron turned his head away from Scott, who was panting and struggling. Scott’s wild eyes were filled with a clear intent to kill Noah.

“Ptooey.”

Scott spat on Noah’s cheek. He was like a wild animal.

The servants rushed in and dragged Scott away. Even as they dragged him, Scott screamed with rage that he would kill Noah. Susan tried to calm her wildly beating heart.

Unconscious, Noah was covered in blood while receiving emergency treatment. Aaron suppressed a heavy sigh, whether out of disappointment toward his brother or horror at the situation.

“He’s crazy. He’s really gone mad. Aaron, what should we do? What if he dies?”

“It’s not that bad. Calm down.”

Aaron wiped his face. His palm was wet with sweat. He said,

“We need to send Scott to a hospital. If not, at least arrange counseling. We can’t leave him like this. Even if it’s because of Scarlett, this is too much…”

“If rumors spread that Scott’s sick, the company’s stock price will fall.”

“So should we just leave him like this? If a violent incident leaks, the stock will fall anyway.”

“If he never meets Ashford again, wouldn’t that be enough? He’s leaving for Natalia soon.”

“Susan. Please…”

“I know. I know…”

Honestly, the stock price wasn’t the real issue. It mattered, but not enough to exchange for Scott. Susan just hated the idea of another one of her family ending up going back and forth to the hospital, like what happened with Scarlett.

She didn’t have the courage to watch another loved one suffer. But she had to be brave. If they left him like this, he would either rot in prison or live hiding as a fugitive.

“Fine. I’ll secretly call a doctor and a counselor. How’s Noah Ashford?”

“He bled a lot because his skin was torn, but luckily there are no major injuries.”

The family doctor answered.

“No fractures?”

“He probably unconsciously defended himself with magic. For a magician, magic is like a third hand.”

“When will he regain consciousness?”

“Maybe tonight or tomorrow. But he won’t wake quickly because of the blood loss and exhaustion.”

“Okay. Good job.”

After the healing magician finished treating him and left, Susan stared at Noah’s bruised and wounded body for a long time. It seemed like she was hoping to find some secret Scott was hiding, just by looking at Noah’s face.

But all she could see was that Noah had the same look that was common among people from Natalia. Susan sighed and left the treatment room. She said,

“When he wakes up, tell him to leave immediately. If he stays here, I might die from anger before he does.”

Noah only woke up at dawn. His whole body ached from being beaten by Scott. Looking around, he realized he was still in the White mansion. A faint sigh came out of him.

He wasn’t dead. He was still alive. That fact alone made him feel even sadder. If only he had died from the beating, he could have gone to Scarlett.

‘Be happy.’

How could he be happy when she was gone? If he could be happy after losing her, it must mean the word “happy” had changed its meaning.

Noah sat up. His whole body hurt so much that he groaned without realizing it.

‘The fifth room from the end of the second floor in the East Wing is mine. It has green curtains and gets the best sunlight.’

Her scent, her things touched by her hands… He wanted to find any trace left behind that proved she once existed.

After checking the location of the treatment room from the window, Noah quietly made his way to Scarlett’s room. He had sneaked into her room once before, like a snake slipping over a wall, just to catch a glimpse of her.

Even his footsteps hid in the darkness. Noah crossed the hallway and climbed the stairs like a ghost wandering the mansion. It didn’t take long before he found the door with a flower decoration. It had to be Scarlett’s room. She loved flowers.

‘Scarlett…’

Holding back tears, he leaned his forehead against the door. He fiddled with the doorknob but couldn’t bring himself to turn it. Seeing the empty room would make him realize she was truly gone. He didn’t think he could bear the pain that would come with it.

But in the end, his longing was stronger.

Noah turned the doorknob. The door opened softly without a sound. Through the slight gap, Scarlett’s scent wafted out.

“Ah.”

He choked up. It was definitely her room.

There was the faint smell of medicine mixed with light perfume, a sweet yet slightly bitter scent unique to her.

Pulled by the overwhelming longing, Noah stepped inside as if he were in a trance.

It was bigger than the house he used to live in. Dim moonlight flowed through the green curtains.

He had never seen Scarlett at the White mansion, but he could easily find her traces here.

Silk wallpaper with ornate patterns, a luxurious canopy bed, and a vanity carved with roses — her taste was everywhere.

More than anything… On one side of the room were medical devices and all kinds of medicines neatly arranged. It was heartbreaking that her strongest traces were the signs of her battle with illness.

“Huuu…”

Finally, he burst into tears.

Why were you so pitiful? How sad that medicine is all that proves you were here.

“Aaaah…”

He cried in a low voice. The fact that her scent came more from the medicine shelf than from her perfumes made him feel terribly guilty and miserable.

Nothing could comfort Noah. The more he cried in the empty room that had lost its owner, the emptier his chest felt.

‘You’re so cruel. So selfish.’

In the end, Scarlett lived her life exactly as she wanted. After returning to the White mansion, she never once showed her face to Noah and didn’t let him be there for her final moments.

After crying for a long time, Noah wiped his face and approached the bed. She must have left from here. Did she leave with a heavy heart?

He still had so many questions for her, but there was no one left to answer them.

Favorite flowers, favorite colors… He was curious about so many things, but for someone who has passed away, the thing he most wanted to ask was whether she left peacefully. The worry tightened his heart.

With shaking hands, Noah slowly pulled aside the canopy curtains. Then—

“You…”

Under the faint light Noah created, Aaron’s face appeared. He sat at the end of the bed, looking even more worn out than after Scarlett’s funeral.

“All cried out?”

“…”

Aaron’s voice was bitter. He flicked his lighter on and off, trying to resist smoking. He didn’t want Scarlett’s scent to be buried under cigarette smoke.

“Seeing you cry, at least I don’t have to worry you’ll die.”

If Scott had killed you and became a murderer, it would’ve been worse — half-serious, half-cynical words followed.

“My sister… she really had a hard personality. But… she was so lovable.”

“…”

“Oh, you wouldn’t understand.”

“I do… I lived with Scarlett for a while too.”

“Really? That’s surprising. It wasn’t easy to understand her. Did you love Scarlett?”

“…Yes…”

Aaron’s question was vague. He wasn’t asking if it was romantic love or family love. He just assumed it was the latter.

Although they weren’t blood-related siblings, Scarlett had tried her best to accept Noah as family. So Aaron thought at least between her and Noah, something like a sibling bond had formed.

“She’s not here anymore. So leave. Scarlett wanted that too.”

“I’d like to say goodbye.”

“What’s the point? Words to the dead are meaningless. It’s time to stop remembering.”

“…”

“And about Scott, I apologize on his behalf. He’s just…”

Aaron rubbed his rough, stubbly chin, searching for the right words.

“He’s in shock. Like when our father left the house… this time too…”

“I understand.”

“I didn’t think you would. When are you leaving for Natalia?”

“In a week.”

“I see. So it’s come to this.”

Aaron let out a long, heavy sigh filled with regret that only Scarlett suffered in the end.

“If I leave like this… I won’t be able to forgive you. Please, just one last favor. Scarlett—”

Noah’s words were cut off by Aaron’s mocking laugh. He laughed like a drunken madman.

“Forgiveness? Salvation? We’ve never cared about things like that. Unlike Scarlett, we never forgave you.”

Noah realized there was no point in begging anymore. It had been impossible from the start.

“I understand.”

“Good. I’m glad you get it. Noah Ashford. Welcome to this vast hell, where there’s no forgiveness.”

With the cold moonlight behind him, Aaron smiled cruelly. It was an invitation to hell.

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